Injured Akin is getting better

A professional bull rider, no stranger to the winners circle in San Angelo, has shown improvement since suffering injuries at an Alabama rodeo last month.

Lee Akin of Weatherford, Okla., is off ventilation and has responded to commands since being removed from a medically induced coma, according to the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Web site.

Akin suffered severe trauma when a bull stepped on his head after a dismount. The 32-year-old placed in San Angelo during the 2006 PBR event. Akin competes in PRCA rodeos and the PBR. He has a riding percentage of 36 percent and has won almost $400,000 in the PBR.

As in all sports, injuries are a part of the game. Rodeo competitors are independent contractors depending upon a good run or ride for a payday. Injuries can devastate finances. Let's hope Akin recovers and can return to the rodeo arena.

A fund has been set up to help defray the family's medical expenses. Donations can be sent to the Lee Akin benefit at 713 NE Highway 66, Sayre, OK 73662.

An effort is under way to study impact on the body during rodeo rough stock events, according to the PRCA. Justin Sportsmedicine is the leading group studying g-force effects on competitors.

The team uses monitoring equipment on riders, similar to devices placed on motor sports competitors. An earpiece is connected to a data acquisition box attached at the competitor's waist. The box records g-force and other factors in hopes of determining the level of force that causes injuries.

The equipment was tested last month during the Houston rodeo on a bull rider and a bareback contestant. Researchers hope to use the information for development of protective devices, including better neck collars and helmets.

Justin Boots recently re-signed a contract as the official boot of the PRCA. Countless cowboys and cowgirls owe some of their success to the Justin Sportsmedicine program. Sportsmedicine athletic trainers provide treatment at 130 PRCA sanctioned rodeos, including San Angelo's.

The program used nearly 3,000 miles of athletic tape, a recent Justin news release stated. That's enough tape to stretch from coast to coast. In addition, the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund is an extension of their commitment to rodeo. Since 1989, the fund has awarded more than $4 million to more than 600 rodeo families.

Ambassadors tryouts slated

Tryouts for the San Angelo Rodeo Ambassadors are scheduled for April 15. The equine performance team is looking for girls ages 13 to 20 interested in performing and representing the San Angelo rodeo. Tryouts will be in the cattle barn on the fairgrounds. Registration is at 1:30 p.m.

Perry Curnutt is marketing director for the San Angelo Stock Show & Rodeo Association. His rodeo column appears every other Sunday. Contact him at perry@sanangelorodeo.com.